Sixth child accuses former North Carolina teacher of sex abuse www.privateofficer.com

 

 

Clayton, N.C. March 20 2012— A sixth child has come forward to accuse a former Johnston County teacher of sexual abuse, Clayton police said Monday.

Paul Clifton Canally, 29, of 148 Buchanan Lane, Clayton, now faces an additional charge of felony statutory rape.

His bond has been raised to $2.63 million, and he remained in the Johnston County jail Monday afternoon.

Canally was arrested three weeks ago on charges that he sexually abused a teenage boy numerous times between April 2010 and last December. Two days after his arrest, police filed charges of statutory rape and soliciting a child by computer against him in connection with a second boy.

Three more boys then came forward. Two of the alleged victims were students at Archer Lodge Middle School when Canally taught there, investigators said, but the alleged molestation occurred at Canally’s home and not at school.

Clayton police detective James Linder said Monday that their investigation into Canally is ongoing and that, whenever a victim comes forward, it also gives others the courage to come forward as well.

“They feel a little ashamed, and you have to explain to them that (they) don’t have anything to be ashamed about , that (they’re) being brave during interviews,” Linder said. “That’s the only thing I can tell parents is that you have to ask your children to be brave, to talk about the situation that is going on – the incidents that have occurred.”

Canally was a seventh-grade science teacher at Archer Lodge Middle from August 2007 to July 2009, when he resigned for personal reasons, Johnston County Schools spokeswoman Terri Sessoms said.

Sessoms said Friday that district officials were investigating a verbal complaint against Canally in the summer of 2009 when he resigned. The complaint didn’t involve any alleged sexual misconduct, she said, but “concerns were reported to all appropriate agencies.”

Sessoms said the school district took no disciplinary actions against Canally during his tenure.

Police said Canally also worked as a camp counselor in Pennsylvania, and they are trying to determine if there were any victims there.

Source:WRAL.com